One airline is trying to solve airport confusion with robots

Spencer
the robot will be tested in Amsterdam to help passengers navigate
the airport.AlphaGalileo

Navigating a foreign airport can be extremely stressful,
especially during the holiday season when its peak travel time
and a free agent is nowhere to be found for directions.

But for travelers going through the international Amsterdam
Schipol Airport this season, finding the next gate may be a
little less stressful thanks to a new robot guide.

On Monday, the airport begins testing Spencer, a cognitive
robot developed by Sweden’s Örebro University.

Spencer will pick up passengers who have a short-transfer time at
their gate and lead them through the Schipol airport to
their next gate.

To navigate the airport, Spencer uses maps of the building.
However, he is also equipped with camera sensors and a laser
scanner so that he can constantly scan his environment and move
in a safe manner, avoiding obstacles and people nearby.

The robot, which is able to speak several languages, also has the
ability to understand and learn certain human behaviors.

For example, the robot will check on the people it's leading
to make sure they are still following, and it also navigates
itself around groups of people instead of squeezing through.

In the future, the robot could be used to assist in other ways as
well, Achim Lilienthal, project leader at Örebro University which
contributed to the research, said in a press statement.

Spencer.eu

For example: Spencer could look after passengers who missed their
flights and update travelers with correct information.

While the Swedish researchers developed Spencer, the initiative
came from the Dutch Airline KLM. The airline had experienced
growing costs associated with travelers missing their flight
because they were lost in the airport and wanted to find a way to
better help the travelers get to their gate on time.

The project is funded by the
European Commission, however, KLM donated funds to help with part
of the research.